Bittersweet
by Alx88
Summary: In a timeline where Papyrus and many monsters were killed, Toriel struggles to win the Underground's support while Sans grapples with the loss of his brother. Both of them try to find hope in the ruins of their past. This fic starts from the last battle, and explores how Undyne overthrew Toriel and how Sans came to live with her. A take on the Exiled Queen neutral ending.
1. Chapter 1

The giant tremors ripped through the Underground, sending its residents scurrying for cover. Debris and dirt rained down, and the walls shivered. Flashes of green and red tore through the eternal twilight, and deep monstrous roars resounded from the castle. The cries were so loud, their echoes could be heard all the way to the Ruins.

As the monsters cowered, many thought that the ancient prophecy had come to fruition at last: that the Angel of Death had finally descended to destroy them all.

Then, without warning, everything went silent.

The angry, jarring lights stopped. The castle fell eerily quiet. It felt as though all time had come to a standstill. Slowly and cautiously, the monsters emerged from their hiding places, afraid that the cataclysm would start again.

As they turned their gazes to the castle, it was with horror that the monsters realized that half of the castle had caved in, and smoke was rising from the ruin.

"ASGORE!" A shrill scream broke the residents from their slack jawed shock. Undyne, leader of the Royal Guard, was sprinting towards the castle with a flaming blue spear in hand. Her motion roused the monsters, and they followed behind in a panicked crowd.

Undyne burst through the doors, sending a shower of splinters onto the now cracked and chipped marble floor. Vaulting the banister, she ran up the stairs that opened to the Last Corridor. As her armoured feet pounded the floor, her heart could not stop hammering in her chest.

 _Please be alive…_

The golden corridor was a mess of fallen pillars and broken glass that blocked the way. It would take forever to clear. Grunting with impatience, Undyne materialized a stronger, thicker blue spear. Using it as leverage, she leapt across the wreckage and bounded into the Throne Room. The other monsters cried out as she left them behind, but Undyne did not care.

Guilt was crawling on her back.

Asgore was not in the throne room. Undyne winced as she noticed that all his beloved flowers had been crushed by fallen debris. His throne was collapsed on its side, legs broken. "ASGORE!" Undyne shrieked. "ASGORE!"

There was only one other exit.

Undyne ran into the dark room that led to the cursed barrier. She had always hated that place, as it pulsed full of human malevolence and malice. The shimmering barrier and hints of a world beyond were stark reminders of what the humans had taken from monsters.

"ASGORE—"

Her cry died in her throat.

Under the pulsating light, a pile of dust was all that remained amidst her King's golden and purple regalia.

She reeled in shock, sinking to her knees. It was then that she noticed that the six soul containers were broken, and that their former occupants were nowhere to be seen. The human souls that they had painstakingly harvested, and were the keys and hopes to their salvation, were all gone.

Undyne let out a helpless yell of grief. Pounding the ground with her fists, memories of Asgore flooded her mind- his gentleness and kindness, his large generosity of spirit. Gone forever.

Asgore was the hope of all monsterkind… and again, a human had taken this away. And Undyne had let them.

In her grief, something new moved into her anguished, determined soul.

Hate.

* * *

When Toriel first emerged from the Ruins to claim Queenship, no one protested. Despite being divorced from Asgore, she was still a Boss Monster, and of royal blood. There was no other who had a stronger claim to the throne.

The Underground, which was in a state of despair after the King's death, felt revitalized. Many of the older monsters remembered her as a kind yet firm Queen, and had high hopes for her reign. All the monsters expected her to continue Asgore's war on humans.

For the first time in days, the seats at Grillby's were packed as patrons gossiped about the news.

"Did you hear?" slurred Drunk Bun, sloshing wine across the table. "The Queen will be having her first public announcement tomorrow! What do you think she will say?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Big Mouth. "Humans have killed both her son and husband-"

" _ **Ex-**_ husband," interrupted Ugly Fish.

Irritated, Big Mouth bared his fangs at the other monster. "Fine, _**ex-**_ husband," he emphasized, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, who cares about semantics nowadays? As I was SAYING, it's a no brainer that she is going to declare war on humans! We will make those filthy creatures pay for what they have done to us!"

A murmur of assent ran through the packed bar.

"Humans are evil and vicious and selfish," said Punk Hamster vigorously, banging his tankard on the counter. "I heard from my friends at the Capital that the human devoured Asgore's heart just to save themselves. They don't care about us at all."

"Yeah," squawked Angry Bird, "And so many of our friends were killed by the human! We will never hear them laugh again…"

"I wonder what happened to the little puppy that patted us," said Dogamy, as he mournfully engaged in his nose nuzzling with Dogaressa. "I bet that human killed it."

"H-Hey Sansyyy, you are so awfully quiet," hiccupped Drunk Bun suddenly.

The bar fell silent.

"C-c-c'mon Sansy," she continued, blissfully unaware of the shift in mood. She gestured her empty bottle at the counter where Sans was sitting. "The mood is getting bad and you are always the life of the party…"

Grillby made a gesture with his hands.

"Er... Drunk Bun," said Angry Bird nervously, "How about another round of drinks?"

"What? I'm not talking to you! I'm talking to Sans," said Drunk Bun indignantly. "Sansyyy don't ignore me-"

"It's okay AB," said Sans, looking up at the flustered monster. The perpetual grin was plastered on his face. "I'll handle it. People are happy- It's been a while since the Snowdin folks have come to the bar to talk."

"Heya Drunk Bun," said Sans, swivelling around on his bar stool and smiling outrageously at her. He pointed his ketchup bottle suggestively. "You should change your name to MTT Cola, because you are… _**so-da-licious**_."

Drunk Bun screamed with laughter. "Oh you are a riot Sans! Tell us a joke."

"Whelp," shrugged Sans, leaning against the counter. "I was gonna tell you all a time travelling joke, but you guys didn't like it."

A collective groan went through the crowd, but the atmosphere relaxed considerably. At a nod from Grillby, Angry Bird brought another bottle of wine to Drunk Bun where she proceeded to get thoroughly wasted as the crowd egged her on.

As the conversation picked up again, Grillby gave Sans a look.

"I'm fine," said the skeleton, downing the rest of his ketchup. The lights seemed to go out from his sockets as he slumped forward. As the party went on behind, no one noticed.

"I'm always fine. Give me another round, will you?"


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, the monsters eagerly awaited the Queen's royal proclamation at New Home. They came from all over the Underground, from far-off Snowdin to nearby Hotland. A few scuffles broke out when a Pyrope insisted on turning up the heat next to several Ice Caps, but overall the mood was cautiously more buoyant than a few weeks ago. Having a perceived strong leader on the throne had that effect.

Sans did not really care. A dog could be sitting on the throne for all he cared. The only reason why he was there at all was because he fell asleep at the bar, and had been physically removed by his bar friends to make the journey to New Home together. As he looked at their hopeful, optimistic faces, he did not have the heart to say no.

The castle was still being repaired, and so the second tallest building in New Home was chosen for the Queen's speech. About five stories high, the topmost balcony was draped with the purple banner of the Dreemurr royal family. Two royal guards stood at attention in front of the entrance, while Captain Undyne and the rest of the guards were to escort the Queen.

Time was crawling slowly. As the minutes inched towards the appointed time, many of the monsters were growing restless.

"By the time she gets here, a riot is going to break out," muttered Sans. Any tiny goodwill he felt had already long evaporated, and he felt increasingly impatient and sullen in the crush of monsters. He was sorely tempted to take a "shortcut" home.

"Don't be so impatient," chuckled the Snowdin shopkeeper who was standing next to Sans. "I'm sure she's going to be here very soon." The bunny was fanning herself desperately. Despite the hat and loose top, sweat was pouring down her face in rivulets. Although the temperature in New Home was average, it was far too hot for the regular Snowdin resident.

Suddenly, a great shout arose from the back of the assembled monsters. "The Queen has arrived! All hail Queen Toriel!"

"I can't see anything," complained the shopkeeper. Standing on tip-toe, she was craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the new Queen. Sans stared straight ahead, nonplussed. It did not make any sense for him to look when she would soon be up there on the balcony. He could not wait for this whole farce to be over.

"Goodness child, be careful!"

A warm, gentle, familiar voice washed over him.

In shock, Sans spun around. He recognized that voice anywhere.

But that voice was lost in the din of the crowd as the Queen drew closer. Desperately, Sans tried to push his way through, to get closer to where he heard that voice. It made sense that _**she**_ would be here today, when all the monsters are gathered…but it was no use, the throng was too tight to go through.

Frustrated, Sans' eye flashed blue, and he took a step backward and-

"Bless you, Queen Toriel! You are our new hope!" An old, grizzled Froggit cried out directly in front of Sans. Sans started, not realizing he was now so close to where the Queen was. Thankfully, the monsters around him were too distracted by Toriel's presence to wonder how this strange skeleton had suddenly popped up among them.

The Queen was dressed in simple purple, and a gold crown adorned her brow.

Sans stared.

She had the most gentle eyes he had ever seen.

Smiling, she reached for the old Froggit and patted his webbed hand. "Thank you, kind sir," she said, "I will do my best for you and everyone." And then she was gone, swept away by the crowd and her soldiers towards the building.

It was as though a rug had been pulled from under Sans' feet. The person whom he had been exchanging knock-knock jokes, who had the most wonderful laugh, who loved snails and baking and terrible puns was Queen Toriel herself?

Could he have been mistaken? But Sans knew that it was impossible. He knew every tone and inflection of that mysterious voice beyond the door. The self-styled "old lady" and the Queen were one and the same. And he wondered whether he meant as much to her as she did him, and if she would be able to recognize his voice if she heard it.

He felt a pang in his chest as memories from a happier time rose unbidden in his mind.

It all started with a chance encounter with a strange, locked door in the quiet wood. The endless rounds of one-sided knock knock jokes before someone miraculously answered, "Who's there?"And just like that, an unexpected friendship had been born. They traded quips, jokes, puns and even recipes (the mysterious lady had sworn by a butterscotch cinnamon pie recipe). And even though Sans laughed it off at that time that he was too lazy to cook, secretly he had been practicing. Sans never had the chance to show off the pie he tried baking…

Blindly, Sans took another step, and this time found himself back among the Snowdin crowd. "S-Sansy!" cooed Drunk Buns. "Where did you go?"

"I-uh… had to step out for a bit," said Sans, feeling too rattled to come up with an appropriate joke. Almost instinctively, his smile snapped back on and he quipped, "It's way too hot over here. Do you know what happened to the skeleton who stayed by the fire for too long? He became _**bone-dry**_."

"That's terrible Sans," said Drunk Bun, but she still laughed.

"And yet you still love me," Sans grinned nonchalantly, putting his hands into his jacket. His jaw felt strained from the constant smiling.

He watched as Toriel finally reached the entrance of the building. When she emerged onto the balcony to cheers, his heart ached. As the Queen of Monsters, he was under no illusion that their days of passing banter in Snowdin Forest were over. In light of everything else that had happened, that thought alone made everything even more unbearable.

As he gazed upon the lonely, regal figure on the balcony, he thought that she looked every inch a queen.

"My friends," Toriel began, using magic to amplify her voice. The steady murmur of the crowd fell silent.

"It has been a difficult and trying time for all of us. We have lost many good and kind monsters. However," Toriel said firmly, "We must not lose hope and cave in to despair." The crowd cheered. Many monsters who had lost family and friends hugged each other. Sans watched as his fellow MTT comedian, a middle-aged Snowdrake, blew his nose. He had lost his only son to the human.

A sharp pain suddenly cut through Sans' chest. Even though he was standing here among monsters, he felt so alone. Papyrus should have been here. Papyrus would have been whooping the loudest, and sharing his infectious enthusiasm with everyone around.

The crushing agony of his loss caused him to flinch. The pain felt like death. But Sans knew that he deserved it, and he could always justify his inaction to himself that it made no difference whether anyone lived or died but he still should have tried something and why was the world not resetting and bringing his brother back and why was this agony continuing on and on and on-

 _Stop._

Self hate was not going to change anything, so why bother?

With great effort, he pulled himself together, and forced himself to focus on Toriel's words.

"…and we will rebuild again towards a brighter future of peace for all. In the coming weeks, there will be some changes and announcements in that direction, and I seek for your support to make this happen. My door is always open," the Queen continued. "Do stop by if you need a listening ear, a slice of pie, or…" she paused, hesitating. "Or even if you just want to exchange **jokes** , please feel free to **knock**. You can be assured that I will answer!"

Sans could hear the smile in her voice. And despite the hollow emptiness in his chest, he felt his heart swell. It was still her, and she remembered him.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Thank you Dotchi13 and fanaticreader808 for your kind reviews- They really gave me the motivation to continue the story!

* * *

That night, the whole of Snowdin town was afire with gossip on what the Queen meant by a brighter future of peace, and what the changes and announcements were going to be.

Sans however, was wondering if it was worth the effort to see Toriel again. As he sprawled on his bare mattress, he noticed that his trash vortex had grown larger. The little self-sustaining tornado was a relic from his research days, and Sans wondered lazily if it would eventually grow big enough to consume him and the house. Wouldn't that be a laugh to everyone.

Dust, random bits of candy wrappers, loose notes and even one of his old physics books swirled round and round in an endless spiral. Without Papyrus doing the cleaning, the house had become a veritable pigsty. And yet he could not bring himself to care- why bother about anything, when everything was going to reset anyway?

But as he stared up into his dusty ceiling, he found his thoughts returning back to Toriel. She was special in a way that he found hard to describe. Even when she was just a disembodied voice behind a door, she had the unique ability to make him care about anything at all. Some days, the only thing that got him out of bed was the thought of hearing her laughter. It motivated him to come up with terribly outrageous puns, much to the dismay of his brother.

And now, he had the chance to get to know her better. He might as well go and see her. He had nothing to lose anyway. Since this timeline had presented him with the opportunity, he was going to take it, resets be damned…

… which was what he said to himself for the next three days. He was still lying on his crumpled bed, in clothes that had not been washed, subsisting on a diet of stale tomato ketchup. He was a mess. Getting up would take too much of his non-existent energy.

Sans wondered why the human was still not resetting. Surely it was long past time for another round in this endless bingo of chance?

 **BAM. BAM. BAM.**

A loud rapping at his door jerked him from his thoughts.

"SANS! I know you are in there, open up!"

Sans groaned, hugging his creased bedsheet tighter. "Not in," he muttered.

"If you don't open this door right this minute, I am going to kick it down! I need to talk to you!" Undyne was as loud as ever. "It is urgent!"

Sans had no doubt she was going to break his door in. The intensity of her banging was now causing dust to fall from the quivering ceiling to his face. Sighing, he sat up on his bed and put his throbbing skull in his hands.

"I mean it Sans! If you are not here by the time I count to ten I am going to kick down your door! One… Two…"

Feeling petty, Sans waited all the way until she counted (or rather, shouted) to nine. He could almost imagine her turning purple outside.

"You know," said Sans conversationally as he finally opened the door. "Isn't the royal guard supposed to be protecting innocent civilians instead of destroying private property?"

"I'm off duty today. You are welcome to file a complaint tomorrow if you so wish," Undyne deadpanned, striding past Sans. She was not wearing her usual armour, but was instead in blue casual jeans and a black tank top.

"You look terrible," Undyne said flatly. "When was the last time you changed that jacket?"

"Why? Didn't realise you were that fussed about appearances," Sans said, shutting the door behind him. He turned and leaned heavily against the polished wood. "As I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about my clothes, what's this about?"

"Look," Undyne blurted. "Something strange is going on at the palace and there is no one else whom I can talk to about this."

With a start, Sans realized that she was trembling. Her hands had balled into fists and it seemed as though she was making a great effort to rein in her emotions.

"I…I swore an oath to serve the throne and all of monsterkind," Undyne said, her voice low. Her breath smelled of seaweed and salt. Her one eye stared at him, haunted. "You know that I would do anything, even lay down my life, in service of this kingdom."

Sans said nothing.

Undyne looked down, staring but not seeing the trash and socks that littered the space between them. The silence stretched, heavy and pregnant before Undyne finally said, "I think our new Queen is insane."

"What?" Sans stared at her in shock. He was not expecting this.

"When she took the throne, I expected her to be angry. I expected her to declare war on the humans! Both her husband and son have been killed by those murderers, and Asgore was the kindest and most gentle King… and yet the Queen didn't seem to care at all. She was so cold at the funeral dusting."

"Well, they did divorce," Sans said uncomfortably. "And they have been living apart for years-"

"And that is not the worst part." Undyne continued as though she did not hear him. Spots of colour had risen in her cheeks as she shook her head vehemently. "She just informed me to disband the Royal Guard! She wants to set in place a policy of non-hostility towards humans!"

Sans gaped at her. He knew that Toriel cared for humans, but he did not expect her to take it this far. Such a policy in the current anti-human fervour would face severe backlash.

"I tried to reason with her, but she refused to listen. Her policy is a slap in the face of all those monsters who have lost loved ones, of all of us dying down here trapped in the dark. I am not sure if she is naïve because of all those years in the Ruins but I sure as hell am NOT disbanding the royal guard! If she is not fit to be Queen," Undyne gritted out. "Then she should be replaced."

"What are you saying, Undyne?" Sans said slowly. "This is treason!"

"This is the will of the monsters," She shot back. "When the Queen publicly announces this policy of hers, how do you think everyone will react?"

A cold sweat was beginning to bead on Sans' forehead. Feigning disinterest, he changed the subject. "So why did you come here?" He asked instead, putting his hands behind his head and grinning. "You don't seem to need any convincing about Tor- the Queen."

"I want to lead a rebellion to overthrow the Queen. Will you join me?" She stretched out a hand towards him. "We will avenge Papyrus, Asgore, Mettaton and everyone. And maybe… Alphys will allow herself to be found again."

It was a little known fact that the Royal Scientist had disappeared suddenly after the earthquake. There were rumours of strange moaning and scratching noises deep in the Underground Lab, but upon investigation, no one found anything. The only clue that there was anything amiss was a crumpled, torn note in the wastepaper basket. On it was scrawled in ugly letters, "I know what you did." But no one knew what it could possibly mean.

Sans felt the lights in his eyes wink out. He was still grinning of course, but it looked more like a grimace in the dim light.

"That's really funny Undyne," Sans said without mirth. "So what's the punchline? That you will crown yourself Empress?"

"There is no punchline," said Undyne grimly. "It is what needs to be done. The Queen is mad, and what she is doing will destroy us all. Look at how just one human could cause so much chaos and destruction! If another human falls down here and we are defenseless…" she shuddered at the thought. "I will die before I let that happen!" She said fiercely.

One look at Undyne's determined face told Sans that the captain would not be shaken from her stance. It would be very easy to just not care, to say good luck and send her on her merry way to a bloody revolution.

But the image of Toriel rose stubbornly in his mind. He thought of those gentle, kind eyes, and how she pleaded with him to protect the human. "Please," she had said, and Sans could hear the tears in her voice. "If a human ever comes through the door, could you please please promise me something? Watch over them, and protect them."

She was so earnest in her plea. In it carried her hopelessness and desperation, the raw fear of a mother about to lose her child. She must have been so desperate to confide in him, a nameless faceless stranger on the other side of a locked door.

He knew that Toriel was not mad.

Sans looked down at Undyne's proffered hand, but made no move to take it.

"What," said Undyne waspishly. "Are you telling me you actually agree with that-"

"I am not agreeing with anything," Sans cut in. "I just think that you are not being very fair to the Queen."

"What?" The captain of the royal guard stared at him. A familiar purple colour started to blot her blue cheeks. "What do you mean I'm not fair?" The outstretched hand slowly closed in on itself tightly. Her yellow eye glinted dangerously, and she bared her full set of sharp pointed teeth.

Undyne was stubborn, but she was also proud.

"I have just lost my brother," Sans said harshly. He saw Undyne flinch, and pressed his advantage deeper. "And Asgore was like a father to you as well. You of all people would know what I am feeling. The underground had fallen into despair and is now only getting hope back because of the new Queen. It is not right if she is deposed so quickly without finding out the real reasons behind her actions."

"So what do you propose we do?" Undyne ground out, folding her arms across her chest.

"Give me a few days. She said that her door was always open right? Let me talk to her."

Sans could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage. He wondered why he was feeling so anxious. Completely irrationally, he also wondered if the ketchup stains on his old jacket could be washed out.

"Fine," Undyne finally said, glaring at him. "But if she doesn't change her mind, she will regret it. Once the people know what she is planning to do, it will turn nasty very quickly. I will wait for your judgment then, Sans. Don't take too long."

And then she was gone, opening and shutting the door on the silent, lonely house.


	4. Feeling Bonely

**Chapter 4: Feeling Bonely**

 _Author's note: Thanks animezom123 for the review! Hope that you and all my readers continue to enjoy the story._

* * *

Although Sans seemed round and lazy, he could move very quietly when he wanted to. Wanting to observe without revealing himself, he kept to the spaces between the light, hidden in the shadows of the pillars that propped up the castle.

Although most of the castle had been repaired by now, there were traces of battle that could not be erased by magic. Some of the elegant columns still had large chunks of marble gorged out, and the floors were chipped and dusty. Some doors were locked, with a sign outside that simply said, "Undergoing renovations." In a way these marks were reminders that nothing could go back to how it was before.

If Asgore was still here, he would have been in the throne room puttering among his flowers. But it was only Toriel now here, and she was alone in the palace kitchen. A smell of crust and freshly baked spices wafted out around her. The Queen of monsters was dressed simply, in purple robes with a functional apron tied around her waist. Her usual long sleeves had been rolled up past her elbows, revealing the soft fur beneath. Her arms were dusted in flour, and she was humming a little tune as she worked the dough. The only indication of her royal status was the simple gold circlet around her brow.

It was a pleasant, warming scene. Golden light filtered in through a window, casting everything in a soft yellow. The kitchen was neat and well-kept, and one could see the care that was taken in its presentation. Sans had not stepped into his own kitchen since that one particular day, as too much of it reminded him of his brother. Instead, he left the boxes and boxes of frozen spaghetti entombed in the refrigerator.

"Well, are you going to come in?" Toriel suddenly said. She turned and smiled at him directly. "Would you like a slice of pie?"

It was one of those rare occasions where Sans felt himself caught completely offguard. He was still smiling, but he could feel his sockets slide downwards in an awkward expression. This was not what he expected at all- he had it all planned out with an elaborate knock-knock joke, and this lady had just ruined the surprise due to her possession of metaphorical eyes at the back of her head.

But as he was also Sans, he could roll with whatever curveballs life threw at him. Allowing his smile to stretch even broader, he walked forwards into the light.

He held out his hand towards Toriel.

"Oh," she said, wiping her hands hastily on her purple apron. "Forgive me, my hands are a bit dusty and-"

As she grabbed Sans' hand, a loud, rude fart ripped through the dignified kitchen.

Mortified, Toriel stared at Sans. She quickly let go of his hand, revealing the yellow whoopee cushion nestled snug in his palm.

"I originally wanted to introduce myself with a knock-knock joke, but I had to improvise," Sans said, grinning up at her. "You can't go wrong with a classic fart joke."

The Queen giggled, and as she listened to him, her eyes lit up in recognition. Joy crinkled at the edges of her eyes, and she leaned forwards to peer at the skeleton standing so casually before her.

"I know your voice," she said slowly, as though she could hardly believe it. Her voice was soft and musical. "I believe we may have met before?"

"Knock knock," grinned Sans mischievously.

"Who's there?"

"Woo."

"Woo who?" Even before the punch line, Toriel was already shaking with suppressed mirth. She really was every comedian's dream audience.

"Don't get too excited," Sans answered with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "It's just a knock knock joke."

Toriel let out a loud guffaw of genuine laughter. She snorted and giggled, and the sound warmed Sans like a bottle of Grillby's best ketchup.

"My name is Sans," he said, looking up into her face. "Sans the skeleton." Before coming to the palace, he had debated very briefly on whether he should wear something nicer. But he was much too lazy, and he guessed that if the Queen really was the mysterious lady behind the door, she would not be the sort to care. And so, Sans wore the same blue jacket, shorts and fluffy pink slippers to meet the Queen. The only concession he made was that he did give his jacket a wash.

"Sans," Toriel said. "That's a very nice name."

"Thanks Tori," the skeleton replied casually. "I have been told that it is…. _**Sans-ational."**_ He wiggled his eye sockets at her.

Toriel laughed again. "You are such a bonehead," she teased. Their banter and smiles flowed as naturally and easily as those bygone days in the forest, and not at all like words between a Queen and her subject.

"I have one for you," she said excitedly, two bright spots appearing in her cheeks. "Why did the skeleton want a friend?"

Sans already knew the answer to this joke, but he humoured her anyway.

"Why?"

"Because he was feeling bonely!" They both laughed. Sans was grinning from ear to ear, while Toriel wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. The joke was as old as the hills, but it somehow still seemed fresh and funny when said by Toriel. It had been a very long time since Sans felt this happy.

"Oh, you are getting a bit of a _**royal flush**_ there," Sans joked, as Toriel's cheeks flushed red from laughter. "I may need to ask for a royal _**pun**_ -don to continue making bad jokes."

"I do declare that puns are meant to be bad," said Toriel grandly, clanging her batter spoon against the baking tray. "As a loyal subject, you should strive endlessly to match me in a _**batter**_ of wits."

"No _**half-baked**_ puns from me, your royal highness," agreed Sans. "My puns are the _**cream**_ of the crop."

"Oh really," said Toriel loftily. "Well then Mr smarty-pants, I have my _**pie**_ set on you."

"Well enough about pie, let's talk about tea," Sans countered. "Do you know what tea prices fluctuate the most?"

"No, I don't," answered Toriel. "What kind of tea?"

"It's _**uncertain tea!"**_

It was so ridiculous that they both burst out laughing again. To many people, the exchange would have earned its fair share of eye rolls; but to Sans and Toriel, it felt completely right and natural. The feeling was wonderful. It was the feeling of being engaged with someone who just got you in a way that other people did not, who found the same things funny as you did and did not judge you in anyway.

Sans told puns because he liked them, and because he had long accepted that very few people would find them as funny as he did. It seemed that Toriel was the same way, although her love of comedy was more private and reserved. As the skeleton watched Toriel laugh- she had a wonderful laugh by the way, a loud and full and unreserved sound- Sans felt something warm bloom in the pits of his soul.

 _Papyrus would have gone crazy if he was here. He was already annoyed with his brother's puns and if there were now two of them…_

At the thought of his brother, guilt rose like a black haze in his mind. The happy, warm feeling he felt a moment ago seemed to strangle. He wanted this with Toriel so badly… but why did it have to happen in a timeline where his brother was gone?

He was still smiling, but the pinpoints in his eyes shrank a little, and the upward turn on the corners of his mouth seemed to sink in a little into themselves. However, the shifts were slight, and Toriel did not know Sans enough to be able to read the subtle changes in mood. She was still giggling slightly at the banter they just had, looking at Sans with a fond expression.

At that very moment, the oven DINGED, snapping both of them from their thoughts.

"Oh, the pie is finally done!" Toriel exclaimed happily. She was now in her element, and her manner turned brisk and business-like.

"Sans, could you please put the coaster at the centre of the table? I am taking out the pie now."

"Sure thing, Tori," Sans said, thankful for the distraction. He grabbed the round cork coaster and carefully positioned it on the table. He shifted the other utensils and ingredients out of the way.

Toriel opened the door of the oven, and a wonderful smell of cinnamon and butterscotch emanated out. "It's perfect," said Toriel happily. "I was so worried that the oven here would not be the same as back home- I mean, the Ruins."

"It smells _**pie-**_ ticularly amazing, Tori," said Sans sincerely. The smell was making his mouth water. Although he was a skeleton, he was still a monster, and monsters had to eat to survive. He could survive with very little food, and it had been a long time since he smelled anything as good as this homemade pie. His diet had always been exclusively greasy burgers, fries and ketchup, much to the despair of Papyrus.

Putting on a pair of patterned mitts, Toriel expertly lifted the pie from the oven and set it on the table to cool. The crust was a wonderful golden brown, and the sort that would melt in your mouth. And hidden inside the pie like treasure was the sweet smooth filling of cinnamon and butterscotch.

Sans wished that he could stay in this moment forever- in this homely, dainty kitchen, eating pie and exchanging jokes with a kindred spirit. He did not want to think that this was a world where his brother was gone, and that all this would soon disappear as though it never existed. He did not want to have that conversation he knew he needed to have- on how Toriel's determination for peace was going to turn all the monsters in the underground against her.

As Toriel looked at the steaming pie, her eyes grew a little sad.

"When you stopped coming by, I thought that I would never see you again." Toriel said softly. "I was worried that something happened to you."

"Whelp, as you can see, that fear was unfounded," Sans said lightly. He did not want to share the real reason why he stopped visiting. "I was a sentry and reassigned to Hotland. I didn't manage to get to say goodbye before I left."

"Ah, that is a pity. I missed our knock knock jokes very much. It can get… a bit lonely in the ruins. Ever since-" Toriel stopped. She shook her head and looked at Sans, smiling.

"Well, all that is water under the bridge already. You are here now, and let's talk about happier things. How is your brother? Papyrus, was it not? I hope he is well." Toriel said, thinking of how Sans always used to talk about his brother. It reminded her of happier days when her two children were around. "Is he here? I hope that I can meet with him soon."

There was a short silence. Sans felt his smile grow rigid, and he wondered for a moment if he should lie and say that Papyrus was on vacation. But as he looked at Toriel's sincere face, he could not bring himself to.

"He has… fallen down." _Because of that human you cared so much about._ A small voice, ugly and sly and bitter, whispered in his ear.

Toriel's hands flew to her mouth. "I am truly sorry," she said. "I did not know."

"It's all right Tori," Sans said. His tone was sad, and he looked down at his hands wishing the conversation never took a turn here. "I have come to terms with it."

As Toriel looked at the skeleton in front of her, her heart ached. She knew how he felt, to have someone you loved so much be wrenched away from you suddenly. It was a gaping wound that took years to heal, and even then, it would still carry scars. Her heart went out to him and she felt a strong instinct to give comfort.

Acting on impulse, she reached out and grabbed him to her tightly. "I am so sorry," she whispered. "I am so sorry for your loss."

Shocked, Sans felt his whole body grow stiff. Aside from his brother, he never really allowed himself to grow close to anyone. He had many acquaintances, but these were all kept at arms' length. Cultivating close friendships took a lot of effort that Sans did not have the energy for. And so, he always handled everything alone.

Toriel was warm and soft. She smelled of pie and everything that is good and kind in the world. A normal monster would have been able to receive Toriel's comfort, would have been able to wrap their arms around her and cry into her shoulder in grief. But Sans was not normal. He was too closed in to himself, too empty and too wounded to be able to accept the comfort freely given.

A light blue dusted his cheeks, but his arms remained stiffly at his side. Sans desperately wanted to be able to lean into her touch, but he could not. Too many things remained unspoken, and the tension felt thick like butter.

After a while, Toriel let her arms drop and she stepped away. "I'm sorry," she said almost wretchedly. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay, Tori," said Sans. "I really appreciate it. It's just that hugs are not my strong suit." He smiled, opening his hands in a placating gesture. The walls were back up again. "Shall we cut open your **pie** _-tacular_ pie? I think it should be cool enough to try."

"Yes, Sans, let's do so," said Toriel, happy for the excuse to move past the awkward moment.

They ate the pie in the golden kitchen, talking about puns and jokes and snails, while the topics hidden in the dark festered beneath.


End file.
